St. Ambrose Episcopal Church
Introduction
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St. Ambrose Episcopal Church is a distinctive stone building located in Antigo’s downtown district. Originally without a formal congregation, the first Episcopalian mission in Antigo was organized by the Diocese of Fond du Lac in 1886, under the name of St. Joseph’s, and the current church building was constructed 1908 at a cost of about $10,000 (approximately $300,000 in 2022 dollars), at which point the mission was renamed to St. Ambrose. It is one of the oldest standing church buildings in Antigo, and stands out for its stone architecture, which is well-maintained and somewhat unusual for this region.
Images
Picture of the church, facing northwest, in 2022.
The original Episcopal church building, built in 1886, later used as a meeting hall and sold in 1948.
The stone church under construction in 1908.
Interior of the new church, 1909. Note the "rood beam" in front of the altar, carved in the tradition of woodworkers from Oberamergau, Germany.
The church tower covered in a layer of ivy, ca. ~1910.
Backstory and Context
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The first known Episcopal services in Antigo were held in 1883, likely at the present site of St. Hyacinth’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which at the time was owned by a Methodist congregation. Episcopal services would go on to migrate from building to building, notably briefly settling in an abandoned saloon for time, which had been closed down due to the teetotaling attitudes of the town’s founders. In 1886, Bishop John Henry Hobart Brown of the Diocese of Fond du Lac organized the local Episcopalians into St. Joseph’s Mission, at which point construction on a church of their own began. This small wooden church was originally located at the corner of Milton St. and 6th Ave., until it was moved to the site of the present church in 1893. This original building would become a meeting hall and gymnasium after the construction of the new church, and was eventually sold in 1948 and moved from the property.
The current stone church was constructed in 1908, and after much deliberation renamed from St. Joseph’s to St. Ambrose. The church fell into disrepair during the throes of the Great Depression, and closed from 1941-42 for maintenance. Various repairs and upgrades have occurred since, with the Episcopal mission still calling the building home today. The building remains a unique and treasured historic building for the entire community.
Sources
Antigo Daily Journal. “St. Ambrose Marks Centennial,” October 17, 1986, Volume 82, No. 26. File Cabinet 3, Drawer 2. Langlade County Historical Society Archives.
Gottard, Carol Feller, ed. “Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Church Building: 1909-2009.” St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 2009. File Cabinet 3, Drawer 2. Langlade County Historical Society Archives.
Kingsbury, Arthur J. Arthur J. Kingsbury postcard collection. Early 1900s. Photography. Langlade County Historical Society.
Wells, Dolores, and Nancy Bryan, eds. “A History of St. Ambrose Mission: 1886-1986.” St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 1986. Filing Cabinet 3, Drawer 2. Langlade County Historical Society Archives.
Arthur J. Kingsbury Postcard Collection, Langlade County Historical Society Archives